CH 4- A Waiting Opportunity
After a while, Fox decided to leave Theresa alone so she could have some privacy.
He was still angry with Ethan for the way he handled things.
"He didn't have to be so harsh with her. It's so obvious she's still very much in love with him." He murmured to himself, as he walked downstairs.
But in a way he was ok with it because he knew that the more Ethan pushed her away, the easier it would be for him to win her love.
"It's just a matter of time." He whispered, as he pushed open the door to the kitchen.
"Man, am I hungry!"
He looked around the enormous unfamiliar room and squinted.
"Now, where would I find a plate?"
He hadn't been in this kitchen since he was a little boy. Everything looked so different. There even seemed to be more cupboards now.
"Leave it to my mother and her decorators to turn a simple room in to a circus."
He was about to go crazy when Phyllis walked in.
"Is everything ok Fox?" She asked, noticing how distraught he looked.
"Yeah, everything would be ok if I could find a plate in this place. I'm starving!"
Fox ran a hand through his hair, as Phyllis opened one of the cupboards and handed him a plate.
"Well that was easy." He said with a bewildered look on his face.
"Fox," she giggled. "Why don't you just let one of the cooks fix you something to eat?"
"Absolutely not. I refuse to bug the cooks to make me something as simple as a sandwich. Besides, a sandwich is easy compared to some of the other things I tried to cook as kid, remember?" He chuckled, grabbing some lettuce, tomatoes, meat and bread from the refrigerator.
"Oh yes, how could I forget? You never used to leave Pilar's side when she made lunches for you and Ethan."
"Ah, you have a good memory." He smiled, opening the fridge once more for cucumbers, pickles, and mayonnaise.
"Of course I do. Don't you remember that time when Pilar found you in here with flour everywhere and when she asked you what you were doing, you told her you were making tortillas?" Phyllis started laughing uncontrollably as she remembered Fox's tiny face with flour all over it. "She had to give you such a bath after that."
Fox rolled his eyes as he smiled at her smirking.
"Well that wasn't one of my many masterpieces." He picked up his massive sandwich and smiled approvingly. "But this! Now this is what you call a sandwich!"
"Fox, there is no way you can eat that?"
"You wanna bet?" He grinned at her, with a daring expression on his face
"I wouldn't dream of it. See, I actually know how much you can eat. But I have no idea where it all goes." She smiled patting his tummy, as she left.
He carried his plate into the living room and sat on the sofa.
He was just about to take a bite, when he heard tiny footsteps come down the stairs.
When he turned around and saw that it was Theresa he almost choked on a piece of lettuce.
As she came down the stairs and saw Fox she almost jumped back in surprise.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone to be down here." She turned to him and gave him a weak smile. "Fox, when you see Ethan can you tell him that I've left please?"
She was about to turn the knob on the door, but he jumped up and stopped her.
"Wait, wait Theresa. Are you alright?" He asked concerned, coming over to her.
He could tell that she had been crying a lot because her eyes were still very much red and swollen.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She weakly smiled, avoiding his eyes.
"Hmm. Well that's funny because you don't look fine." He crouched down to her eye-level so that she would look at him. "Do you want to talk about it? I can be a good listener."
"I don't want to burden you with my problems Fox." She placed a hand on his arm and lightly brushed passed him.
The contact immediately made ever hair on his neck stand up.
"Actually it wouldn't be a burden at all Theresa. In fact, I'd be happy to." He looked at her and smiled.
"Are you sure?" She gave him an uncertain look.
"Absolutely!" He grabbed his jacket from the chair. "I'm sure there's a café around here where we could talk."
He opened the door open for her.
"After you," he smiled, as she passed in front of him.
He closed the door behind them and followed close behind her.
Just as they left, Phyllis walked into the living room. She looked down at the untouched sandwich Fox had left on the table.
"I knew he couldn't eat it." She shook her head. "I should have made that bet."
She smiled taking the plate back into the kitchen.
~*~*~*
Ethan stood in the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
He had heard Theresa's loud sobs from down the hall and held his head in anguish.
He remembered how sad her eyes looked earlier.
"Dammit!" He slammed his fists down hard on the sink in frustration.
He hated hurting her. That's why he had left in such a hurry. He couldn't bear to look into her saddened eyes any longer.
He loved her so much but he just could not trust her. And it killed him because he wanted to be with her despite of that.
"Why couldn't you have just been honest with me Theresa?" He whispered to himself.
He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face, staring back up at his reflection in the mirror.
"I'm so sorry Theresa." He sighed. "I honestly don't want to lose you."
But Ethan had no idea that he was doing just that, and at this very moment she was being comforted by his very willing half-brother.
After a while, Fox decided to leave Theresa alone so she could have some privacy.
He was still angry with Ethan for the way he handled things.
"He didn't have to be so harsh with her. It's so obvious she's still very much in love with him." He murmured to himself, as he walked downstairs.
But in a way he was ok with it because he knew that the more Ethan pushed her away, the easier it would be for him to win her love.
"It's just a matter of time." He whispered, as he pushed open the door to the kitchen.
"Man, am I hungry!"
He looked around the enormous unfamiliar room and squinted.
"Now, where would I find a plate?"
He hadn't been in this kitchen since he was a little boy. Everything looked so different. There even seemed to be more cupboards now.
"Leave it to my mother and her decorators to turn a simple room in to a circus."
He was about to go crazy when Phyllis walked in.
"Is everything ok Fox?" She asked, noticing how distraught he looked.
"Yeah, everything would be ok if I could find a plate in this place. I'm starving!"
Fox ran a hand through his hair, as Phyllis opened one of the cupboards and handed him a plate.
"Well that was easy." He said with a bewildered look on his face.
"Fox," she giggled. "Why don't you just let one of the cooks fix you something to eat?"
"Absolutely not. I refuse to bug the cooks to make me something as simple as a sandwich. Besides, a sandwich is easy compared to some of the other things I tried to cook as kid, remember?" He chuckled, grabbing some lettuce, tomatoes, meat and bread from the refrigerator.
"Oh yes, how could I forget? You never used to leave Pilar's side when she made lunches for you and Ethan."
"Ah, you have a good memory." He smiled, opening the fridge once more for cucumbers, pickles, and mayonnaise.
"Of course I do. Don't you remember that time when Pilar found you in here with flour everywhere and when she asked you what you were doing, you told her you were making tortillas?" Phyllis started laughing uncontrollably as she remembered Fox's tiny face with flour all over it. "She had to give you such a bath after that."
Fox rolled his eyes as he smiled at her smirking.
"Well that wasn't one of my many masterpieces." He picked up his massive sandwich and smiled approvingly. "But this! Now this is what you call a sandwich!"
"Fox, there is no way you can eat that?"
"You wanna bet?" He grinned at her, with a daring expression on his face
"I wouldn't dream of it. See, I actually know how much you can eat. But I have no idea where it all goes." She smiled patting his tummy, as she left.
He carried his plate into the living room and sat on the sofa.
He was just about to take a bite, when he heard tiny footsteps come down the stairs.
When he turned around and saw that it was Theresa he almost choked on a piece of lettuce.
As she came down the stairs and saw Fox she almost jumped back in surprise.
"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone to be down here." She turned to him and gave him a weak smile. "Fox, when you see Ethan can you tell him that I've left please?"
She was about to turn the knob on the door, but he jumped up and stopped her.
"Wait, wait Theresa. Are you alright?" He asked concerned, coming over to her.
He could tell that she had been crying a lot because her eyes were still very much red and swollen.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She weakly smiled, avoiding his eyes.
"Hmm. Well that's funny because you don't look fine." He crouched down to her eye-level so that she would look at him. "Do you want to talk about it? I can be a good listener."
"I don't want to burden you with my problems Fox." She placed a hand on his arm and lightly brushed passed him.
The contact immediately made ever hair on his neck stand up.
"Actually it wouldn't be a burden at all Theresa. In fact, I'd be happy to." He looked at her and smiled.
"Are you sure?" She gave him an uncertain look.
"Absolutely!" He grabbed his jacket from the chair. "I'm sure there's a café around here where we could talk."
He opened the door open for her.
"After you," he smiled, as she passed in front of him.
He closed the door behind them and followed close behind her.
Just as they left, Phyllis walked into the living room. She looked down at the untouched sandwich Fox had left on the table.
"I knew he couldn't eat it." She shook her head. "I should have made that bet."
She smiled taking the plate back into the kitchen.
~*~*~*
Ethan stood in the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
He had heard Theresa's loud sobs from down the hall and held his head in anguish.
He remembered how sad her eyes looked earlier.
"Dammit!" He slammed his fists down hard on the sink in frustration.
He hated hurting her. That's why he had left in such a hurry. He couldn't bear to look into her saddened eyes any longer.
He loved her so much but he just could not trust her. And it killed him because he wanted to be with her despite of that.
"Why couldn't you have just been honest with me Theresa?" He whispered to himself.
He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face, staring back up at his reflection in the mirror.
"I'm so sorry Theresa." He sighed. "I honestly don't want to lose you."
But Ethan had no idea that he was doing just that, and at this very moment she was being comforted by his very willing half-brother.